Cut to the Feeling
by T0FU
Summary: I've been denying how I feel, you've been denying what you want.


The rhythmic drumming of the sozu falling back into place after it had filled up with water against the sounds of the flowing river was therapeutic. This was one of Sakura's favourite places to be. It had been a tea house with a traditional garden in the back before the Fourth Shinobi World War. Now it had been revamped into a quaint restaurant, Hinote, and they had expanded their limited indoor seating to a small raised patio in the back garden beside the Naka River. The sun was setting and the cherry blossoms that had bloomed days earlier and were starting to wither off their branches.

It was a picturesque and the perfect setting for a first date.

The only problem was that Sakura found her date incredibly boring. Keita was a civilian surgeon from the hospital and had shown interest in Sakura for the past year. They would casually flirt in the breakroom, but it never went beyond that. One day he joked about taking her to dinner as thanks for saving a patient he performed emergency surgery on. Much to his surprise, she accepted his offer.

She wanted to say she didn't know why she agreed and ended up having a romantic dinner by the river, but she knew exactly how she got here. She took a few more sips of sake and reflected on the frustration that brought her to this moment as her date continued to talk animatedly to her.

She had no one to blame but herself. She let her hormones get the best of her.

Yes. That was it. What was she to do though? Wait? She scoffed inwardly at herself as Keita continued, unbothered by her lack of engagement.

Sasuke didn't make any concrete promises to her. They had spent some time together before his journey of redemption. Time spent with no definitions and no expectations. Was she just a friend? Did he want her to be more than a friend? She knew what she wanted, but she didn't want to ruin the moments of peace they had together with pressure and questions. When he did make time to see her, the visits were brief with him waiting in her office for healing or in her apartment letting her know he'd be gone with a vow to see her again.

Damnit.

At this rate, she'd never be able to see if they could progress to more. The emotional turmoil was one thing, but her physical yearning was another. It was basic human bodily function. She was 19, almost 20 and having hormones that were raging beyond belief. A hot bath and her various toys were just not cutting it anymore. She wanted to know more. Feel more.

Maybe things with Sasuke were meant to be platonic then. She hadn't seen him for close to a year at this point. She was a strong and independent woman. She had the confidence and strength to fulfill her own life goals. It was time for her to take control and satisfy her needs.

Keita Hatake was certainly a man that all the women (and even some of the men) swooned over in the hospital. He had luscious black hair that was neatly trimmed and shaved on the sides along with soft brown eyes. Sakura wondered if he was a distance relative of Kakashi. He had a certain air of aloofness that reminded her of her former sensei at times.

He was an overall good guy. Too good, maybe... So good that he was boring. Sakura internally scolded herself. She still was thinking of someone that could be categorized as a bad guy - no, he was a reformed bad guy.

Sakura should have considered herself lucky. She had Sasuke's friendship at the very least and now she was on a date with one of Konoha's most eligible bachelors. Too bad despite his good looks, she was not feeling any sparks at all.

"That's why we should be looking at expanding post care for those with PTSD. Don't you agree, Haruno-san?" Keita looked at her expectedly. He had been talking about opening counseling services across the village. She had caught none of the details about it.

"I'm so sorry Hatake-san," Sakura blushed from embarrassment, "I spaced out as you were talking. I definitely think you're on the right track though and this is definitely something we can bring up to Tsunade-shishou and Hokage-sama. I had a long day though, and it would be great if we could talk about anything else except work."

"No, I'm sorry Haruno-san" Keita replied back, "I should have been more thoughtful. You're right. We seldom get time off and we should leave this talk at work." He flashed her an apologetic smile.

They spent the remainder of dinner trying to get to know each other better. Sakura learned that Keita had a younger brother who worked in construction and that his time off consisted of helping his brother rebuilding housing in the village. He really was a good guy. Sakura reciprocated with information about her parents and her friendship with Ino, whom was also a well respected healer in the hospital.

The sun had now fully set and Keita insisted on escorting Sakura home after their meal. Just a few more blocks and they be coming upon her complex.

"So, uh, Haruno-san," Keita's confidence from earlier started to waiver. He thought the date went well, but Sakura didn't seem to react to his company like other dates he had been on. "I, um... I had a good time with you tonight." He raised his arm and reached behind his head. Embarrassed at his inexperience of not being interesting to his date.

"Hatake-san, I had a good time as well," Sakura replied. They were rounding the corner to the entrance of her apartment complex. "It was nice getting to know you, my colleague, better"

My Colleague. Keita started sweating. Was he being friend zoned? This date was no way a complete failure. He had done all the right things. At least, he thought he did. He arrived early at the restaurant, opened up about himself, actively engaged in her conversations, and tried to pay for the whole bill which she insisted they split evenly - a decision he respected and didn't argue on. A gentleman through and through. His only faux pas was bringing up work at the beginning of their date.

They were at the bottom of the stairs now. He didn't want things to end like this. A date with Sakura was like hitting a jackpot and he didn't want to squander his winnings. Before she could turn around to bid him farewell, he placed his left hand on the small of her back, guiding her up the stairs. All senior staff knew where Sakura lived in case of any medical emergencies. He hoped that maybe getting to her door would give him a change for a second date.

They climbed up four flights of stairs before they reached the top floor of the complex. A few more steps and Keita was ready to make his move.

Three steps...

Two steps...

One.

Sakura turned around with a smile and Keita slipped his hand from her back to hold her waist. Before she could speak, he bent down and placed his lips on hers. His right hand gently touched her neck and slowly moved up to cup her face.

Sakura froze, wide eyed, in shock. Her first instinct was to smash her fist into Keita's face with a chakra infused punch. It would certainly kill him. He was not a ninja, he was a normal civilian and one of Tsunade's senior staff. She should have expected this, she accepted going on this date.

She closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the kiss, seeing if Keita's lips satiated any of the desire she had pent up inside. She placed her hands on his chest and worked her way up to wrap her arms around his neck. His body pulled closer to hers and she leaned back onto her door. His lips caressed her and she answered back, tilting her head to the side, signaling him to deepen their kiss.

Not one to miss a signal, Keita ran his tongue over Sakura's lower lip and she responded back by parting her mouth slightly to meet his with hers. He was jumping on the inside that she was accepting his advances.

His left hand moved lower to rub her thigh when she sighed, "Sasuke…"

Sakura's eyes opened at her realization that she just said another man's name while kissing Keita. He pulled back and chuckled to himself.

"No sparks for me, huh?" he asked her.

She looked down to hide her blush, "No… Hatake-san. I'm sorry." She slipped her hands off his shoulders and brought them back to her sides. "I think we're better off being friends."

He laughed. "Well, at least we tried, right?" He took a step back to give Sakura room to open her door to get into her home. "I hope that you find what you're looking for Haruno-san," he held out his hand for a shake goodbye.

"I hope so too," she responded back as she took his hand and gave it a small squeeze. "I'll see you at work." She gave him a guilty smile, turned to open her door and went inside.

"See you later," he answered back as her door shut. He turned away and started walking towards the staircase.

As he moved away, a figure could be seen on the roof of the complex across the street. Their cape was billowing as the wind picked up. Their red eye following Keita as he exited the stairwell and started his walk home.


End file.
